Cobalt Blue
by UniqueElla
Summary: "I tried to be friends with the new guy. I wish I never did. It would've saved me all the pain right now. Well, time for him to take his own medicine. Revenge time." Friends hurt each other sometimes. But do they forgive? Or do they hurt each other back with passion? Ikarishipping
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1  
**_  
_Ting. Ting. Ting._

A teenage girl with long blue hair sleepily opened one eye and looked over the room to find the source of the annoying sound. Apparently just one eye wasn't enough to complete this quest, so the girl lifted her other eyelid reluctantly.

_Ting. Ting. Ting._

She finally found what was making the irritating sound that had woken her up. '_Ohh… my phone…'_

_Ting. Ting. Ting._

The bluenette sat up in her bed and picked up her phone from the nightstand right next to it. Answering the call, she almost immediately regretted it, as a loud scream came from the other end.

"_DAAAAAAAAWN!"_

After rubbing her ear, Dawn hesitantly spoke to her best friend.

"May, stop screaming! What are you so excited about _this_ early in the morning?!"

"_It's your birthday, silly! So, I WISH YOU THE HAPPIEST __SEVENTEETH BIRTHDAY!__ How could I not be excited?! I mean, you have a birthday, it's almost as if I have a birthday, because we are like sisters and, oh, please tell me I am the first one to call you today! What if someone did it before me?! Oh my God, I am a terrible best friend and─"  
_  
"Calm down, would you? And don't worry, you _are _the first one to call me today. But even if you weren't, that doesn't make you any less_─"_

"Of course I have to be the first to─"

"Okay, okay, got it."

"_Even your mom hasn't still said 'Happy birthday!' to you, right?"_

"Yeah, she's actually letting me _sleep_ on my _birthday_, how crazy is that ?!…" – the bluenette responded, sourness visible in her voice, though she was chuckling.

"_Anyway, when will I have the honour to see the birthday girl?"_

"When classes start."

"_But… no shopping before that?" – _May's voice was pleading. – "_You know, to pick out the most amazing outfit for this special day?"_

"Not gonna work, May, you know we are only allowed to wear uniforms at school."

"_Hmph…"_

"Don't get sad, there's still the party!"

_"Ooh, yeah! So what should I wear?"_

There was a knock on the door and the head of a woman peeked inside the room and smiled at the sight of her daughter. "Ah, Dawn, you're awake. You better get ready for today, don't want to be late for school on your birthday, right?"

The girl nodded and as her mother made her way back downstairs, she said "I got to go, May. See you at school."

_"Bye, Dawn."_

Dawn hopped off her bed and headed towards her bathroom, where she washed her face, brushed her teeth and combed her hair. After that she went to her closet and put her ironed uniform on, glancing at the mirror as she did. She liked to express her own style and wear her own clothes at school, but she actually liked her uniform. It consisted a dark blue sleeveless cardigan with the school emblem on it, a white shirt underneath, a skirt with mid-thigh length and dark blue socks, that went up to the knee. Plain, but still well-combined clothes, appropriate for school. Dawn put a pair of Chucks on and went down to the kitchen, where her special birthday breakfast awaited her.

"Thanks, mom!"- the girl chirped as she looked at the freshly-made pancakes in awe.

The blue-haired woman laughed and replied "You're welcome, now hurry up if you don't want to be late for school. Don't forget to thank your friends for the party they're throwing for you, and again I'm sorry that I am busy so I don't have the time to do it myself."

"No need to worry, mom! You do it every year and I know how busy you are right now, so there really isn't a problem!" The bluenette looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. "Well, I better go now. Bye!"

And she took off to school, which wasn't far, so it only took her fifteen minutes walking to get there.

At the schoolyard she was greeted by three of her best friends: a carrot top named Misty, a redhead called Zoey and a brunette, who was jumping up and down in excitement at the sight of her blue-haired friend – that was, of course, May.

"Happy birthday, Dawn!" – The three chirped and it sounded as if they've practiced saying this sentence at the same time to the point their voices were in complete synchrony. Afterward the three trapped Dawn in a bear hug, and there was no getting out of it.

"Guys, thank you so much! Now…air…please!"

The bluenette's friends laughed heartily and let the birthday girl catch her breath.

"Hey, Dawn!" The girl turned around and saw three boys coming her way, wearing big grins as they approached her. Kenny – her friend since kindergarten, who had a not-so-secret crush on Zoey; Drew – a popular kid at school, who had grassy-green hair and just loved to make May angry; and Ash – a boy with messy black hair, who was a little dense, but good-hearted.

"Happy birthday, _DeeDee_!" – Kenny said and slapped Dawn's back, laughing loudly.

"I told you a million times not to call me that stupid nickname!" – She hissed, slightly pouting.

"So, how are you, birthday girl?" – Drew asked, his eyes then darting to May. "Didn't notice you were here, bandana-head." – He added, smirking as he waited for the hot-headed brunette's outburst.

"Shut up, grass-head!" – She replied, not wanting to explode in fury on her best friend's birthday.

"Whatever, April." – He watched smugly as her face became red with anger at the purposeful mistake of her name, and then once again turned to Dawn. "So, your party is going to be awesome, we took care of it all. You don't have to worry about a thing, 'cause we are the best organisators around and it's gonna be a blast!"

"Yeah, your only job is to show up and have loads of fun, because today is your day!" - Ash added with a wide grin.

"Thank you guys so much for your effort, I promise to have a great time!" – Dawn replied happily. She then took notice of a boy she hadn't seen at school before. He had shoulder-length hair in an odd plum-like purple color and was heading towards the main entrance of the building, his eyes fixed on a schedule paper.

Noticing the boy as well, Misty asked the others "Is that a new student? Why is he transferring in the middle of the school-year?"

Ash followed Misty's gaze and seeing who she was talking about, he frowned a little. "Drew and I saw that guy just before Dawn arrived and seeing he is new here, we offered to show him around. He said he was fine on his own and walked away."

"Why don't we try to make friends with him? He doesn't know anyone here." Kenny suggested.

"Didn't you just hear what I said? He surely doesn't seem as the friendly type."

"He's just moved here, why don't we invite him to Dawn's party and try to befriend him then?" Kenny said again.

"Okay, you don't mind, right Dawn?" Drew asked.

"Of course not. But he doesn't look like the partying type."

"Then it is our job to turn him into a wild party animal!" Ash shouted excitedly, earning eye-rolls and sweat-drops from the gang.

"Shut up, Ash." – Misty sighed and pulled the raven-haired boy by the ear. All laughed and headed towards the school, just in time before the bell rang, announcing the beginning of first period. Dawn had English, so she headed to the cabinet on the second floor and sat at her usual seat in the back. The teacher, Professor Oak, entered the room, the new boy following close behind.

"Class, I would like you to welcome our new student, Paul Shinji, who is now your classmate. Paul, do you want to present yourself to us–"

"No."

"Well, okay then. Go take a seat next to Dawn, she is the blue-haired girl in the back."

Dawn looked up and saw the new student coming her way. She studied his face as he put his things on her desk and sat down on the chair next to her. Then she returned her attention to the teacher, who was now announcing a project they would have to do.

"You will have to work in pairs to present your partner to the class in the most artistic way possible. I don't want your projects based on dry facts only, like date of birth, siblings, etc. I want you to go deeper, really get to know your partner and be creative in your presentation. You've got the complete freedom to do this task in whatever way you find best, and I really expect you to do a great job. You will present your work in two weeks' time. Any questions?"

A girl with pink pigtails called Ursula raised her hand and asked "Are we able to choose our partners?" She was glancing hopefully at Paul and winked at him, but he showed no interest.

"No, I'll be assigning you in pairs." The professor said and a few people groaned in annoyance. "Don't worry, whoever you're assigned with, I'm sure you'd do a great job."

A boy with dark green hair and glasses, who was sitting on the desk in front of Dawn, turned around and said "I hope I'm paired up with you, _Dawn,_ it'd be great to spend some time _alone_ with you." These words were accompanied by a creepy smirk that freaked the bluenette out. Rather than showing fear, which was pretty much what she felt towards the guy, Dawn just gave him a disgusted look.

"Back off, Conway." She replied calmly and scornfully.

He just smirked once again and turned back to the front. Dawn let out a small sigh of relief and shivered slightly, praying that she wouldn't be paired up with Conway.

Professor Oak reached her desk and said "So Miss Berliitz and Mr Shinji, you are assigned to do the project together." The professor went to pair up other students, meanwhile there were a few students, _female_ ones, who were glaring at Dawn. She just ignored them and looked out of the window deep in thoughts.

So, she'd have to work with the new guy. It was quite a disadvantage, as all the others already knew each other, but Dawn never turned down a challenge and this project was no exception.

'_He doesn't seem friendly.' _He hadn't moved a muscle at the announcement of his partner. '_Oh, well, he'd have to cooperate if he doesn't want to fail the task.'_

A little ball of scrumbled paper hit Dawn on the head and got her out of her trance. She watched it curiously and then saw the signs Ursula was giving her. It was for Paul. Dawn sighed as she picked up the paper and put it on the boy's notebook. He looked at it and then at her with a questioning look on his face. In answer she only shook her head and pointed to Ursula, who was looking at the plum-haired boy and batting her eye-lashes sweetly. He looked her way indifferently and then unfolded the piece of paper. As he read the note, his gaze travelled to the pink-haired girl, then to Dawn and then back to the paper where he wrote something as an answer to Ursula.

Dawn was curios what the chat was about, so she took a look at the note, frowning at the words written there.

_**'Poor you, having to work with that piece of crap. Too bad you weren't paired up with me, handsome.'**_

Dawn rolled her eyes, unimpressed with Ursula's words. It was only natural for the drama queen to start flirting with the new guy, who (as the bluenette reluctantly admitted to herself) was indeed good-looking. Insulting her wasn't something out of the ordinary as well. Dawn was used to the mockery she got from Ursula and her group of chosen friends and didn't pay it any attention.

What caught Dawn's eye was Paul's reply, which was consisted of two words only.

_**'Get lost.'  
**_  
'_The queen isn't going to let that just pass by. She will make him pay.'_ The bluenette thought. He didn't look afraid, not even interested, although he surely knew that Ursula was the popular drama queen, who ruled the whole school. Dawn watched as he tossed the paper back to the pigtailed girl. She unfolded it and when she read the short reply, anger was written all over her face. "You'll pay for that!" she hissed, but he looked as though he hadn't even heard her.

Professor Oak dismissed the class, Dawn collected her stuff and went to her locker to put it away. When she was finished preparing her books for her next class, she saw Paul standing next to her, as if waiting.

"Um…" She wasn't certain what to say. "Can I help you?"

"What days do you want to work on the project?"

'_Oh, right.'_

"How about Monday and Friday after school?" She replied.

"That's fine with me. We'll work in my house. Today after school I'll wait for you at the entrance."

"Okay." She said and he turned to leave, but she suddenly remembered something and called after him. "I can't today."

He turned around and gave her an annoyed look. "Today is Friday, isn't it?" He said with a cold voice.

"Yes, it is, but today is my birthday and my friends are throwing me a party." The bluenette answered, not at all bothered by the coldness in her partner's voice. "Monday then?" She asked.

He nodded and walked away.

* * *

The rest of the classes this day were really boring in Dawn's opinion. She kept dozing off, her thoughts travelling to the upcoming party for her. She didn't pay any attention to the lessons and wished that school would end sooner.

Finally, last period was over and the blunette went out of the school building, feeling happy and free. It was Friday, which meant no school for two more days and there was a party thrown for her later in the evening. It was truly a blessed day.

Dawn spotted her Kenny, May and Drew in the yard and she hopped over to them.

"Hey, Dawn! We just invited the new kid over to the party." Drew announced. "Don't know if he'll come though."

"He is cute, don't you think?" May asked, giggling. Drew looked at her confused and a little angry, but didn't say a thing. Without waiting for an answer May continued. "So, what will you wear to the party?"

Dawn opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by May, who didn't stop talking. "Okay, see you tonight at seven o'clock, Drew's place! We have to go to finish with the preparations!" The brunette was already a few metres away as she continued walking after Kenny and Drew. "You don't worry about a thing, okay, Dawn? Okay, see you later, bye!" She was already out of the bluenette's hearing range.

Dawn just shook her head at her best friend and went home to get prepared for the party.

* * *

Dawn gasped as she entered Drew's mansion, where her birthday party was taking place. Her friends had really done a great job and she couldn't be more grateful. The decorations were done with a lot of attention and she felt flattered as she saw all the banners that said with big beautiful letters "_**HAPPY SEVENTEENTH BIRTHDAY, DAWN!"**_

"There she is!" May squealed as she hugged her friend and gave her a big smile. "You look amazing!"

"Thank you, you're look gorgeous yourself!" Dawn remarked, flashing a smile towards her brunette friend, who was dressed in a knee-length red dress with thin straps. The blunette was wearing a strapless midnight blue dress which reached to her mid-thigh. As always she was wearing the diamond '_D_' necklace that was a gift from her dad for her fifth birthday.

"So, where are the others?" She asked, looking around the crowd (yes, there was a crowd, all people from their year were invited), trying to spot the rest of her best friends.

"They are upstairs taking care of the cake. They should be back any minute. Anyway, lets dance! Woo!" May called and grabbed her friend's hands, leading her to that area of Drew's living room that has been made into a dancing.

The girls laughed and swirled around together at the beat of the music, which was turned up to the maximum. Suddenly the music stopped and everyone could hear Misty's voice coming from the top of the staircase. She was holding a microphone and wearing a wide smile as she yelled "Hey, you, birthday girl, come here to get the first slice of your very special birthday cake!"

Dawn laughed as she and May joined the rest of the gang on the second floor where a huge chocolate cake was standing on a trolley. Just looking at it made Dawn drool.

"Wow." She couldn't say anything else for half a minute and then, when she finally could take her eyes off the majestic cake, she hugged all of them: Misty, May, Zoey, Ash, Drew and Kenny – her best friends.

"Guys, you really have outdone yourselves. Thank you so much." She said with a truly happy smile, looking at each of them with great emotion in her eyes.

"Now, lets partyyyy!" They yelled and got in the crowd, ready to have some fun.

"It's a good thing we don't have school tomorrow, so we can stay up late!" May said as she and Dawn made it to the refreshments table. "Ooh, and the sleepover party we have afterwards! It's gonna be soo much fun!" The brunette squealed in excitement.

During their little chat (maybe 'monologue' is a better word to describe it) a boy with dark green hair had quietly approached the two girls. He coughed and they both jumped, looking around alarmed.

Conway chuckled. He then offered his hand to the bluenette. "May I have this dance?"

Dawn looked at him uncertainly. She didn't want to dance with _him, _but she didn't want to be rude either.

"Oh, um…I-I…"  
Fortunately another boy joined in and said with a playful smile. "Dawn, you promised _me_ the first birthday dance, remember?"

Before she could say another word, he pulled her in the crowd, away from Conway and May.

"Thank you."

Lucas laughed and said "No big deal, I saw you didn't want to dance with him, so I decided to get you out of the situation." After a few moments he added "You know, Conway seems like the know-it-all nerd, but he's actually really creepy."

"I noticed the creepy part." Dawn chuckled.

"So, wanna dance?" The boy asked, smiling kindly to the bluenette.

"Sure." She answered and took his hand, her eyes shining in amusement.

* * *

"You should go."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm not in the mood for a party."

"Have you _ever_ been in the mood for a party?"

Paul just shrugged and sat on the couch.

But Reggie wasn't about to give up. "Come on, it'll be fun, plus you can make some new friends. They invited you to a party on your first day at school, without actually knowing you. That's super friendly of them!"

No answer.

"Paul, before we moved here, you promised me to make friends."

"I don't _want_ friends and I never promised you anything."

"Let's make a deal then. You go to that party, in the next few weeks make _one_ friend. If you do just that I won't bother you." After a few moments Reggie added with a smirk. "As much."

Knowing this was the only way to get his brother off his back, Paul argued no more and decided to go to the party.

* * *

'_Just _how_ rich is this green-haired kid?!' _Paul thought as he entered the huge Hayden mansion. (Hayden was Drew's surname.) '_What was the party for anyway?' _Then he saw the posters hanging from the walls, remembering the blue-haired girl's words from earlier that day.

He saw the exact same girl go to the top of the staircase and hug her friends. The same ones, whose help he'd rejected that morning. They must have been the organisators of the party.

Paul sighed and leaned back on a wall, preparing himself for a boring night. Unfortunately for him three girls had noticed him and were coming his way.

"Hey there, cutie. Don't be afraid, I forgave you for that note." Paul looked at Ursula and wondered if his annoyed face really looked like a scared one to her. "It was obvious Blueberry-head over there made you write it, so it doesn't matter anyway."

Ignoring her words, he walked away, finding another spot to stay till the rest of the party. From there he perfectly saw that green-haired moron from English class to talk to the bluenette and her lucky getaway from him.

After staying there for a little while longer, Paul decided it was enough and left.

'_Hope you're happy, Reggie.'_


	2. Chapter 2

**So, this is the second chapter. I'm not really happy with it, plus Paul is a bit out of character. I feel I am rushing this, but I have to get to the story in the resume. Thanks to the kind reviews for the first chapter and sorry this one is a bit shorter and not really good.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. ( :c )**

* * *

_**Chapter 2**_

Dawn stepped out of the front door and smiled at the sight of the white, puffy snow that reached up to her ankles. Winter made even a big busy city, such as Veilstone, look like a picture from children's storybooks. The bluenette loved this season, and not only because her birthday was then. It was cold, but still incredibly beautiful. 

_Cold, but beautiful._

As she reached school she saw some of her classmates in the yard, throwing snowballs at each other, just like little kids. When it came to such innocent games, Dawn was pretty childish too, so when she saw May and Zoey trying to push each other in the snow, she couldn't resist the temptation. Her two best friends still hadn't noticed her, which was, of course, an advantage. She snuck up from behind May quietly and then gave a loud yell, tackling her to the ground. The brunette tried to keep her balance by grabbing Zoey's hand, but caught the redhead unprepared and like a domino all three girls fell in the snow, laughing madly.

"Guys, as much as I like lying around in the snow, could you two get off me now?"

"Sure, Zoey." May replied, grinning, as she kicked Dawn off her and helped the redhead up.

"Ouch, what was that for?!" The bluenette complained, getting back to her feet and dusting the snow off her clothes. However, they were a little wet and Dawn shivered, wrapping her arms around her chest.

"Are you cold? Here, take my jacket."

The girl looked behind her and saw Lucas smiling kindly at her.

"Thanks, but I'm okay. Let's go inside, where it's warm." Lucas nodded and walked away, a slightly disappointed look on his face, as the three girls entered the school's building.

"Aww, seems like you have an _ad-mir-eeer_!" May said in a sing-song voice.

"What? Lucas? We're just friends."

"Yeah, right." Zoey snorted. "Dawn, he clearly likes you. Can't you see it? He saved you from Conway at the party the other day and now he offers you his jacket?"

"Guys─ "

"_Admireeer."_

"I really don't think─"

"_ADMIREEEEEER!"_

"MAY, SHUT UP!" Dawn shouted, earning glances from other students in the hallway. She closed her locker and leaned her back on it, thinking whether what her friends were suggesting was true.

"You're now wondering, aren't you?" Zoey chuckled. "Seriously, it's _so_ obvious, I can't believe you haven't noticed it before."

"Well, I… Even if he does like me, I don't feel the same way. Don't get me wrong, he's a great guy, but just…as friends." Dawn answered quietly, realizing how terrible that sounded.

"Don't feel guilty." Zoey smiled at the bluenette. "We're teenagers, such situations are typical."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Dawn looked at the floor, but after a few seconds a smirk appeared on her face and she added. "Like you're one to talk about being oblivious. Haven't you seen how Kenny blushes every time you speak to him?"

"Kenny?" Zoey asked surprised as a faint blush crept up her cheeks. "You think he likes me?"

"I've known him for ages, I _know_ he likes you."

"Ah, young love." May sighed as she looked up dreamily. The bell rang and got her out of her trance. "Okay, time to go to claaaass!" The brunette chirped happily as she skipped a few feet ahead of the other too, who exchanged glances at their friend's odd behavior. '_Since when is she excited to go to class?' _the blunette wondered.

"What's with her?" Dawn questioned Zoey in a hushed voice, so that May wouldn't hear. That wasn't really necessary, the brunette was currently humming a happy tune and didn't seem to take notice of anything around her.

A knowing smirk spread across the redhead's face. "While you were dancing with Lucas at the party, Drew asked May to dance. She said yes. They looked quite comfortable in each other's arms."

These news didn't really shock Dawn. Whenever May and Drew argued you could practically see sparks flying between them. Dawn smiled.

'_Maybe soon they'll finally admit their feelings for each other.'_

* * *

"Don't you think lunchtime is the best time of the day?" May asked between bites of her king-sized cheeseburger. Dawn watched her best friend with amusement as the brunette ate like she has never tried food before.

"You sure love stuffing yourself, June." May's head turned around and she glared at a familiar green-haired boy.

"Shuw up, Shrew." The brunette said, her mouth full with food.

Drew just smirked and sat at their table at the cafeteria. "So, today you're going to Paul's house, right Dawn?" The bluenette nodded, biting her lip nervously. "You're nervous, eh? Don't worry, I'm sure he won't bite your head off." The boy gave a laugh and stood up, turning to May for a second. "Keep that eating routine and by the next party you won't be able to fit in a dress." With that said he walked away, before the brunette could throw herself at him. She realized what he meant and shouted angrily after him, but he didn't look back and kept walking.

"Do you know how mad Drew's making me?" May said, punching what was left of her burger furiously, probably imagining it was Drew's face.

"I bet he is." Dawn muttered quietly to herself, smirking slightly. 

* * *

Dawn tapped her foot nervously as she waited for Paul in front of school. Finally, she saw him walking out of the entrance and she began waving her arms and yelling at him. "Paul, hey Paul, over here!"

He noticed her and face-palmed at her vivacity. Slowly walking over to her he hissed with a scowl "Would you stop yelling? You look like a stupid cheerleader." No longer so nervous, Dawn just stuck out her tongue at him childishly.

"You know, I used to be a cheerleader. It's not as bad as people think it is. And cheerleaders aren't superficial sluts as everyone say." Paul made a grimace and replied "You said you _used to be_ one, so there must be a reason you've quit." He wasn't asking her of the actual reason, just making a statement, hoping it would end the conversation. Well, wrong move. He was having a conversation with none other than Dawn Berlitz, so it didn't go the way he wanted it.

"It was just too tiring for me, with all the extra stuff I attended. I had to get up very early and come up with new routines. Now that I think about it I can't believe how I managed with all of the exhaustion."

"You had to come up with new routines? That means…you were the captain?"

"Yeah…" Dawn replied, a hint of sadness in her voice. "I'm happier now, plus Ursula is doing a great job with the team."

"I thought you two despised each other?" Paul asked, his curiosity surprising even himself. '_Quit gossiping! It's nothing like you!'_he mentally scolded himself, but apparently the bluenette didn't mind his prying, because she continued talking.

"We do. Well, actually she began all this rivalry a few years ago and started treating me like crap. Before that we were getting along just fine, we even used to hang out together – Ursula, Kenny and I. I have no excuse – instead of trying to find out what was wrong I just fought back and it all went downhill from there." Dawn sighed. "Oh, well, can't turn time back."

They had reached Paul's house. On the porch there was a man in his twenties with hair, similar to Paul's, but a bit darker. He smiled as he acknowledged the two teenagers. Coming closer, he held out his hand to Dawn and said "Hello! I am Reggie, Paul's older brother."

The girl pleasantly smiled and shook his hand. "I am Dawn. We are working on a project together."

"Oh, is that so?" Reggie smirked at his brother who pushed the door open and grumbled "Let's get to work."

Dawn followed Paul up the stairs and to his room, looking around at the furniture and the family photos. She stopped as she noticed a picture of a violet-haired woman, hugging her two sons and smiling happily. The photo was probably taken five years ago. The bluenette came closer to the picture to take a better look at it. '_She looks awfully familiar… Where do I know her from?'_

"Are you coming?" Paul's irritated voice startled Dawn and she turned around to see that he was already in his room and was looking annoyed. Apparently she had been standing like that for some time.

"Sorry." She smiled apologetically and hopped in the room. It was tidier than she had expected it to be, but it was no big surprise, having in mind that Paul was pretty organized when it came to school. It appears the same goes for his room.

"So, how do we begin?" She chirped and took a seat on the ground, leaning her back on the wall and tapping her chin thoughtfully. "How about we ask ourselves some questions and then try to put it up together as a representation?"

"Fine with me."

"Great! So…um… what to ask, what to ask…" An idea occurred to Dawn. "That woman on the picture…she's your mother, isn't she?"

Paul nodded, slightly frowning. "What does that have to do with the project?"

Ignoring his words, the bluenette continued "She is a coordinator, right?"

"Yes, she's won the Grand Festival twice. Why do you care?"

Dawn just shook her head. '_I must have seen her on TV.'_

"Can we continue now?" Paul growled, irritated by the girl's doze off.

"Sure." Dawn sweat-dropped.

They had been working on the project for a while when the bluenette stretched her arms above her head and yawned loudly. "I think it's enough for today."

Paul stared at her for a moment, then his gaze travelled to the window. It was getting dark.

"You should be going. I'll drive you."

"O-oookay." Dawn said, yawning once more.

The drive to her house passed in silence."Good night!" Dawn got out of the car and as soon as she reached her bed she collapsed on it from exhaustion, even though it was pretty early. 

* * *

"Dawn, we're having guests tonight, so dress up appropriately!" Johanna told her daughter, who had just arrived home from school. It was Thursday and Dawn couldn't wait for the school week to be over. The announcement that they were having guests caught her by surprise.

"Who are they?"

"A very good friend of mine, whom I hadn't seen for quite a while and her sons. You'll be nice to them, right?"

"No need to worry, mom! I won't embarrass you."

"I never thought you would. Now go get ready."

Half an hour later the doorbell rang and Dawn went downstairs to welcome the guests. Her jaw dropped when she saw that they were none other than Paul, Reggie and the woman from the picture, obviously their mother.

"Ah, hello, Dawn!" Reggie greeted and smiled widely as he stepped in the hallway.

"Johanna! I am so happy to see you! It surely has been a long time!" The bluenette watched as the two women hugged each other and started chatting enthusiastically, catching up for the time they haven't met up.

The purple-haired woman drew her attention away from the hostess for a moment to greet Dawn.

"I am very happy to meet you. Actually, I think I have seen you when you were little, but I doubt you remember that." _'That's where I remember her from. Of course! She and my mom are both top coordinators, they surely were friends. Close ones as well. _"Anyway, as I understand, you and Paul are classmates, right?"

She nodded and shot Paul a glance, but he was looking blankly at the wall. The bluenette sighed.

As dinner went by, the two women weren't paying much attention to anything but themselves, as they talked and talked, on and on.

"So, do you think we'd be able to finish the project tomorrow?" Dawn asked Paul in an attempt to make a conversation. He just shrugged and took a gulp of water.

She sighed. "What's your favorite color?"

"Black."

"Do you like reading?"

"Yes."

"What music do you like?"

"Why do you ask so many questions?" He groaned in irritation.

"I am bored." She replied simply. "It could also help us with the project."

"We already have all the information we need. No reason for useless chit-chat, right?" He glared at her with that cold eyes of his.

She shivered under his gaze and pulled her eyes away from him. "R-right." Why was he being so cold? Would it hurt him to just be friendly?_ 'It's just the way he is, I guess.'_ Mental sigh. '_Well, we're almost done with the project, so I won't have to put up with him much longer.'_

Dawn continued her mental monologue. '_It hasn't been as bad as I had expected. I was lucky getting a clever partner. I hope we have an 'A'."_

Johanna and Violet (that was the name of Paul and Reggie's mother) came back from the living room, where they had been looking at old photos. "It's time for us to go now. Jo invited us to come over tomorrow night as well. We have so much to talk about!"

Reggie and Paul exchanged looks at their mother's enthusiasm and just shrugged. They headed towards the hallway, getting ready to leave, but Dawn's high-pitched voice stopped them. "I almost forgot! Paul, I want to show you the sketches I made and you need to tell me if they are good enough for the project."

"Sketches?" He raised an eyebrow. Before he could say another word, she dragged him up the stairs to her room, obviously excited.

"We'll be right back, it won't be long." She yelled at the others over her shoulder.

Dawn entered her bedroom and grabbed a stack of papers, spread across her messy desk. She looked a bit embarrassed at the appearance of her room. It was untidy, some clothes thrown on her bed and notebooks on the floor. The bluenette bit her lip and handed the papers to an expectant Paul.

He looked at them impressed by what he saw. There were plenty of drawings all connected somehow to him or her. On one there was him, looking at his notebook with his usual scowl. His Torterra getting ready for battle. Her Piplup bouncing up and down happily with a poffin in his hand. Dawn smiling, her arms wrapped around May and Misty. And many others.

Paul was left speechless by the detail of the drawings, by the way they looked so real. "When did you draw all this?" He finally asked, his gaze unable to move from the sketches.

"Yesterday and today at school." She replied. After a few moments she added nervously, shifting from foot to foot. "So, um, are they any good? Should we include them in the project? I mean, we won't if you don't want to, I just thought it would make it more interesting and…um, yeah…" She finished her sentence uncertainly.

Paul finally looked away from the drawings in his hands and to Dawn, who was looking shyly at the floor. "They're pretty good. We can add them to the presentation." Her eyes shot up to his, lighting up with surprise and joy. He spoke again "How did you draw my Pokémon? You've never seen them."

She shrugged "I saw you compete in the Sinnoh League last year. Of course, I didn't know you then, but recognized you when you moved to our school. I did a little research and found some photos and that's where I saw your Pokémon." She suddenly looked alarmed and a little afraid that he might be angry at her for researching him.

She shot him a glance, but he wasn't looking angry at all. Instead Paul was looking at her with astonishment at the interest she had shown towards his life. For the sake of the project, of course. He stared at her, emotion leaving his eyes and the stony indifference taking its place once again. She just stared back at him, trying to read his expression. Nothing. Just cold eyes in an onyx black colour.

_Cold, but beautiful._

"We'll finish the project tomorrow, then?" She asked.

He nodded and they headed back downstairs. 

* * *

As the two teenagers worked in silence, gluing some drawings and pictures to a big board, the boy's eyes darted to the bluenette, who was biting her lip in concentration. She was cheery, so happy, sometimes really annoying, with such a big smile, confident, at the same time shy, popular, but not a drama queen. She was being friendly towards him, even though she didn't know him at all; even though he was pushing everyone away. She threw so much effort into a school project, not just writing down some information about him, but actually being interested in the details. All these thoughts flickering through his mind for a second, he just shook his head and continued working.

'_Reggie did ask me to make at least one friend. Maybe I can keep that promise.'_


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! Merry Christmas, everybody! I hope you're having a great time around the holidays. Thanks to everyone who is reading my story and I hope you like this chapter.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

**_Chapter 3_**

Dawn closed her eyes as the familiar melody tuned in her headphones. Every time she heard _**Lily's Theme **_shivers went down her spine. The beautiful melody managed to touch her every time. She recalled the starting scenes from _**'Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2' **_and couldn't stop the single tear streaming down her cheek.

Dawn smiled. She was getting so emotional over a short tune from a blockbuster.

'_It's just the power of music. It moves you like nothing else could.' _The blunette stopped walking and twirled around, a content smile plastered on her face. '_And I do love Harry Potter.' _ She chuckled at her fangirling and resumed walking.

It was a nice morning, a bit chilly but very quiet and peaceful. Times like this made Dawn grateful that she lived in the suburbs instead of the busy city. The forest wasn't far from her house and she loved taking walks there in the weekends.

This morning the blunette had awoken with an odd and unexplainable feeling of pure happiness. Without putting much effort into her outfit, she had flown out of the house with her sketchbook, a few fruit in a basket and a huge childish grin.

'_What now?'_ the girl wondered as she made her way between the trees. She stopped for a moment to think and then an idea occurred to her. Dawn jumped from excitement and headed deeper into the forest. '_I'll go to Lake Valor! I can only imagine how beautiful it'd look this time of the year!'_

She wasn't wrong. The lake looked magnificent in its frozen state. Putting her basket on the ground the girl decided she would spend the whole day there. Dawn took out four pokeballs and called her Pokémon out. Piplup, Buneary, Quilava and Togekiss appeared, each of them chirping their name happily. She smiled at her beloved team.

"Hey, guys! We're spending the day here, do you like the lake?" The Pokémon all looked around in awe and nodded excitedly. The blunette grinned. "Great! We'll do some training and then you can go play. Does that plan seem okay to you?" Positive chirps. "Okay, then! Let's get started!"

"So, I need to come up with some new combinations for next month's contest. Hmm, let's see…" Dawn stared at her expectant Pokémon for a few moments, thinking over their moves and how they could be used in an appeal.

"Okay, I'll try something with Togekiss and Quilava first. Let's try this: Quilava, use Fire Spin upwards. Togekiss, you fly down between the flames and get Quilava on your back. Then use steel wing to cut through the fire and finish with an Aurora Sphere, aiming at the sun. Got it?" Togekiss and Quilava nodded determinedly and took their positions. Gracefully performing the moves their trainer had told them to do, they finished their performance elegantly. Dawn nodded in approval, satisfied with the result and decided that it was a fine combination.

"Piplup and Buneary, you're up!" She thought about what moves might work together. "Okay, Piplup, use Hydro Pump while swirling around. Buneary, you use Ice Beam to freeze the water. Jump on top of the spiral and slide down, finishing next to Piplup." Both Pokémon obeyed, performing the combination smoothly. Dawn smiled, happy with their work.

"All of you were amazing! Now you can go play." The Pokémon chirped happily and started running around. Buneary went ice-skating in the lake, Piplup and Togekiss played together and Quilava snuggled close to the blunette on her blanket. It was a fire type so it preferred feeling warm rather than running around in the snow.

Dawn took out her sketchbook and started working on the winter landscape she had in mind. Her concentration was visible. Making the breathtaking view of the lake come to life wasn't an easy task. Biting her lip, the girl continued drawing for another half an hour, trying her best to interpret the natural beauty of the forest in winter.

Stopping for a moment to look at her work, she heard music. It was relaxing, soft and it didn't come from afar. Dawn lifted her gaze and looked around, searching the source of the melody. She noticed a figure on the opposite side of the lake and stood up so that she could have a better view. It was far, but she could see a young man sitting and playing a guitar and two tiny figures standing next to him. Going around the lake and approaching them, the blunette noticed that one of the Pokémon there was none other than her Buneary. The bunny Pokémon tended to cause trouble so Dawn hurried over to it. Coming closer, she could see the features of the guitarist clearer. He was a tall young man, probably in his early twenties, who had long black hair. Next to him stood a tiny green Pokémon in a round shape.

"Hello, my name is Dawn!" The blunette presented herself offering her hand. The man shook it with a smile and replied "I am Nando. It's a true pleasure to meet you, Dawn."

"Sorry for interrupting, I was just worried that my Buneary was troubling you."

"Not a problem at all. Your Pokémon isn't bothering me at the least. Oh, how rude of me! I forgot to introduce my partner here. This is Budew." The small Pokémon jumped up and down happily.

"Glad to meet you, Budew." Dawn chuckled at the little one's excitement.

"What brings such a young lady in the forest this time of the year?" Nando asked with a polite tone.

"I was working on some appeals with my Pokémon and sketching the lake."

"Ah, I see. This place really is an inspiration. That is the reason for me to come here as well."

"Are you a musician?" Dawn's curiosity took over as she looked over his guitar.

"Yes, I am travelling around Sinnoh and exploring different places with my guitar and this little friend." He motioned towards Budew, smiling at it. His gaze then wandered above the trees. "I like it here, near Veilstone. I think I might stay a little longer than I usually do."

"So, what do you do when you visit new towns?"

"I spend most of the time in the forest, the cities are too busy for me. But I often go in town to explore. People are really nice and they ask me to sing and play for them. Although I enjoy the peace and quiet, as a former coordinator I don't mind the attention. If I want to become successful as a musician I'd have to get used to performing in front of a public anyway. Sometimes I give some guitar lessons to enthusiastic little kids, but only when I stay longer at one place."

Suddenly Dawn's eyes lit up as an idea came up in her mind. "You said you'd stay here longer, right? Could you, um, maybe… teach me how to play the guitar?" As she said her request, her face flushed red with embarrassment. However, she really, _really_ wanted to learn how to play the guitar. It was always a dream of hers and she had made up her mind that she would take lessons some time, once she had more free time.

Nando looked surprised at the girl's request, but smiled nevertheless. "Of course."

Dawn grinned and started jumping excitedly. "Oooh, thank you so soo much! It's going to be awesome!" Her behavior was really childish, but it didn't matter to her, because she was so thrilled and eager to get started.

She and Nando exchanged phone numbers and arranged the time of the first lesson.

* * *

"Dawn, don't you think that your schedule is already too full?" Johanna's voice was full with concern when she heard about her daughter's arrangement.

"No need to worry, mom. I can manage!" The blunette replied happily while spreading jam on her pancake. Eating her breakfast hurriedly, she took her backpack and ran out of the door. "Bye!"

Johanna sighed as she looked at her energetic daughter and a small smile made its way towards her face.

"When she tells me not to worry, that's when I worry the most!"

* * *

Dawn inhaled deeply the scent of old books and wood. As she made her way between piles of old junk, she proceeded with her search. She had literally run from school in order to get home as fast as possible. Why? Because she couldn't wait to go through the attic of the house. The blunette was searching for her father's old guitar, one of the few things her mother kept after his death.

Standing on her tiptoes on the old chair, Dawn finally managed to reach the papers, put on top of an old dresser. After putting them on the ground carefully, the blunette jumped in order to see what else was stored up there. She saw the objects on top of the dresser well enough to know that the guitar wasn't there.

The girl sighed in frustration. '_This is going to take more time than I expected. But it must be somewhere here, it has to be!'_

Sitting on the dusty floor to rest, she mindlessly took the first paper of the stack she had just put down. It was an issue of an old newspaper and the top article was about a new top coordinator. Dawn smiled at the black and white photo of her mother. The younger version of Johanna was waving with one hand and holding a ribbon cup with the other.

"One day I'll become a top coordinator, just like you, mom! I am going to make you proud!" The blunette hopped up with renewed determination. She wasn't talking to anyone, since she was alone in the dusty little room. Without her noticing, Johanna had come up and was now looking at her daughter with a smile.

"You've already made me so proud, Dawn. Top coordinator or not, I'll always love you, you know that, don't you?"

Dawn turned around to see her mother standing by the door. She grinned and tackled her in a hug. "Thanks, mom! Of course I know that!" She then looked at her mom. "Why did you creep up on me like that?"

Johanna chuckled. "I'm sorry, dear, I didn't mean to. You just flew in the house like a tornado and headed straight here. I was wondering if I could something to help."

Dawn hesitated. Her dad was a sensitive topic. Uncertainly she said "There is something you could help me with. Do you know where dad's old guitar is?"

Her mother looked down for a second but then her gaze moved around and she brought her thumb to her chin. "It has to be here somewhere. I'm sure I kept it. I'll help you find it."

Dawn smiled and both blunettes began looking under all kinds of old stuff, searching for the precious object. After a good hour they finally gave up.

"But…it _has_ to be here!" Dawn whined, throwing her hands up in defeat.

Johanna looked exhausted but was nevertheless smiling. "Don't worry, if it's not here, then it's somewhere else in this house. We'll find it eventually. Now go and do your homework, it's getting late."

"Okay."

* * *

"I. Hate. Math." Dawn grumbled angrily after she failed to solve yet another math problem. '_I should just give up.' _She threw her notebook and collapsed on the bed.

"Bun, Buneary!" The blunette heard her Pokémon's voice coming from the yard.

'_Sounds like trouble. I better go check on her.'_

The girl went downstairs and then out of the house into the backyard. The sun was getting ready to hide behind the tall trees of the forest.

"Buneary, where are you?"

"Bun, bun!" The Pokémon was nearby, but Dawn couldn't see it, so she began following its voice. She went on the street and finally saw her Pokémon. It was on the opposite side of the road, jumping up excitedly around another Pokémon. Dawn sighed as she made her way towards Buneary.

"What have I told you? No running around this late! Stop bothering this Pokémon and go inside the house!"

The blunette expected Buneary would feel ashamed and would hop straight to the house, but instead the bunny Pokémon acted as if it hadn't heard a word its trainer had said. It just kept hopping around the other Pokémon (which Dawn recognized as a Weavile) and squealed happily.

"Okay, Buneary, this was it! I understand you like this Weavile but I don't have time to stick around and wait for you to decide it's time to return home!" Dawn stomped her foot angrily as her Pokémon didn't give any sign of acknowledgement.

"Weavile, what the hell are you doing?!"

Dawn turned around and was surprised to see Paul walking towards them.

"Is this your Weavile?" She asked.

"Yes. And I suppose this is your Buneary." Dawn nodded. "Then get your Pokémon off of mine!" She looked at him irritated and replied with a scowl. "I tried talking some sense into her, but she won't listen!"

Paul laughed, looking at the blunette with disbelief. "You tried _talking sense_ into it? Why didn't you just call it back to its pokéball?"

Dawn blinked at this remark. It was such a simple solution, yet she hadn't thought of it.

"I guess I just… forgot about that." She said embarrassed of her stupidity. He rolled his eyes and said mockingly "Are you sure you can find your way back to your house? Or do you need me to walk you there?"

Dawn flushed red with fury and glared at him.

"If you're so smart, then how come your Pokémon was so far from your house?" She retorted angrily.

"For your information I was out training when Weavile wandered off. Unfortunately, he came across your stupid Pokémon who trapped it with its jumping and squealing." Paul looked Dawn up and down and added scornfully "I guess like trainer like Pokémon." With that he called his Weavile back into his pokéball and walked away.

"What a rude jerk!" Dawn hissed and turned around, storming off to her house. Buneary followed her uncertainly, afraid that she might take her anger out on it.

The blunette walked through the front door and heard her mother yelling from upstairs. "Dawn! I found it!"

The girl's anger completely vanished as she saw Johanna going down the stairs with a dusty case in her hands.

"I finally found the guitar, dear. It had been in my closet all this time, I completely forgot to check for it there earlier."

Dawn looked speechless as she took the case from her mother. She opened it and gasped in awe. There was her father's guitar. Even though it was old, it was still as gorgeous as the girl remembered it.

She took it out of the case carefully unable to move her eyes away. It was cobalt blue, with silver lining near the edges. To Dawn it was perfect.

* * *

"Aren't you already busy enough without those lessons?" May asked her best friend worriedly.

"You sound exactly like my mother. Don't worry, it'll be fine." Dawn gave the brunette a thumbs-up. "Now, let's focus on the real problem. I don't know which one to choose!"

May rolled her eyes. They had been in the music store for a long time and Dawn still hadn't decided on a guitar case.

"This one is light and easy to carry, but the other one has little Piplups on it. This is so hard!"

"Just choose one already! We've been here for ages and I'm starving!" May whined. "Why do you need a case anyway? You already have one, it doesn't matter that it's old. This guy wouldn't stick around long enough for you to learn to play the guitar that well, so why do you bother buying a new one?"

The brunette was right, of course. But Dawn wasn't a _complete _rookie at playing the guitar. Before passing away her father had taught her the basics. Sadly, she hadn't tried playing ever since his death and now she was a beginner.

"If I'm going to do it, then it must be in a proper way. And the first step is to have proper equipment." The blunette replied stubbornly and turned her attention back to the two cases she was pondering between.

"I think I'm going to buy this one." She motioned to the one with the Piplups. Looking it over one last time she smiled. "Yup, definitely this one!"

She went to pay for it and the two girls finally exited the store. May grabbed Dawn's hand and dragged her to the food court, where she bought herself enough food for a whole football team.

The blunette noticed two people she didn't expect to see together. Zoey and Drew were sharing a table and were talking about something. The redhead looked annoyed and when she noticed Dawn she waved her arms energetically, but for some strange reason she didn't shout.

Dawn walked over to her friends and looked at them questioningly.

"Dawn, thank Arceus you're here. Please, rid me of this annoying brat!"

The blunette gave Zoey a confused look and then turned to Drew. '_They are usually friendly towards each other.'_

"Guys, what's going on?"

"I came to Zoey to ask for advice, but she wouldn't help me!" Drew scoffed angrily.

"I told you I couldn't help you with this. Actually, Dawn is the best person you could have turned to in this case!"

Dawn's curiosity was growing and she asked "What is this all about?"

Drew hesitated. "Do you promise not to tell May?"

The blunette looked confused at the boy and turned around to see the brunette stuffing herself at a table, not really noticing her friend's absence. "Okay, I guess. But why?"

The green-haired boy started uneasily. "Um, well, I wanted Zoey to help me ask May out to the spring dance."

Dawn looked astonished and then her face beamed. "I knew it! You like May!"

"I-…keep it down!" He shushed her.

She kept her voice down but still looked amused. "Drew, you realize that the spring dance is in two months, right?"

"I know, but _she _isn't exactly easy to win over."

Dawn just smirked. "I think you'll be surprised."

He looked confused and she added "Never mind, I think you should do something really original to ask her out. That way she couldn't say no. Unless you mess up until the dance, of course."

"Something original, huh? Well, May is a lucky girl, because I just so happen to be the most full of romantic ideas guy ever! Later!" With that he ran off, leaving Dawn and Zoey staring after him with amusement.

"He sure is cuckoo about May, huh?" Zoey giggled and then turned serious. "I wonder what he'll do to impress her. Anyway, I need to get going! Bye Dawn and thanks!" The redhead left as well.

The blunette returned to May, who was staring at her questioningly. "Where did you go off to?" The brunette asked suspiciously.

Dawn waved her hand casually. "Oh, just helping Drew win over some girl."

Those words had the effect she was hoping for. May choked and turned green. The blunette smiled to herself.


End file.
